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Taxonomy
Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw.) Warb.
Nomenclature
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Family: MyristicaceaeGenus: Pycnanthus
SUMMARY
Dioecious or apparently sometimes monoecious (see note), clean straight-boled tree 9–37.5 m tall, up to 1–1.5 m d.b.h., with or without rounded not very prominent buttresses up to 3 m tall; crown small, the branches restricted to the summit and ± at right-angles to the trunk; young branchlets pendulous, densely ferruginous velvety; bark greyish to dark brown, fissured, rough at base; slash deep orange with white patches and copious viscous yellow or red sap (juice said to be dark brownish or tea-coloured in Nigeria and Cameroon); wood reddish. Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate or occasionally ± obovate, 7.5–31(–38) cm long, 4.3–11(–16) cm wide, acuminate at the apex, cordate or subcordate at the base, velvety dark brown ferruginous pubescent when young, later glabrescent, at leastabove; lateral nerves 20–40 pairs; petiole 0.9–2 cm long, ± 4 mm wide. Inflorescences scented, axillary or borne on leafless branches, 10–15 cm long, densely ferruginous velvety; bracts at base of individual clusters of heads of flowers 2–2.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, tomentose, deciduous; other bracts attain 6×4 mm. Male flowers with perianth 3(–5)-fid, ± 1 mm long; lobes obovate, covered with minute vesicular glands outside; staminal column sometimes twisted, 1–1.2 mm long, with 2–4 exserted anthers ± 0.2 mm long. Female flowers with broadly ovate perianth-lobes; ovary ± 0.5 mm diameter. Fruits yellow or rusty brown, narrowly ellipsoid or oblong to globular, (2–)3–4.5 cm long, (1.6–)2–4 cm wide, ferruginous tomentose when young; pericarp 2–10 mm thick; fruiting pedicels, 3–6 mm long. Seeds dark brown, ellipsoid, 1.5–2.9 cm long, 0.8–1.6 cm wide; aril red or pink.